Death Isn't the End
by Pretend-itmakessense
Summary: It's the anniversary of Arthur's death and Merlin is in a funk. That is, until his old friends rise out of the sea of Avalon! The only question is why?
1. Prologue

The year is 2016. I need to keep changing my appearance. People were getting skeptical of the same old man not dying. My latest potion makes me a 5'10" girl, round face, pale as a ghost, long brown hair down half my back, and hazel eyes. I am on the heavier side because _last_ time I was a girl I was on the skinnier side and guys kept cat-calling me. It made me super uncomfortable, especially since I'm a man. Anyway, I go by Amy and I try to keep a low profile. I don't talk to people unless necessary, and I try not to go out very often – except my daily errands, which mostly include groceries. However, that's also because when I'm home I can be myself, instead of Amy or whomever I am at the time.

I have four little places I call home. They are all pretty much the same, just different locations, again to keep up the ruse of being different people. My homes are secluded, as to keep from view both myself and my magic. My homes are buried on the side of a cliff which is covered in vines, hiding them even more. The inside is small and homey. Only three small rooms; the living area which doubles as my bedroom, the kitchen, and the dining room. The living area has a cabinet for my potions and medicines on the wall to the right next to the door to the minimalistic bathroom, a bookshelf on the back wall filled with my books from Gaius both of magic and medicine, and a few other books I gathered around the years, and my bed tucked in a corner on the left wall. On the left wall is the doorway to the simple dining room. Just a small wooden table with two wooden chairs on either side. The kitchen is on the other side of the dining room. It is the smallest room in the house, a simple sink and counter with a cheap microwave and toaster on the back wall, a fridge and cabinet on the left wall, a stove-top oven on the right. It's small, but it's only me. I move between the four houses mostly depending on the supplies I need and which house has it. Every day I walk past the Lake of Avalon on my way to and from my errands. I made sure all four of my houses are within walking distance of the lake. There is a small public beach there now, but I pulled a few strings and made the place where Arthur died private. Sometimes I go to the beach to mourn the death of my friend. Over the _many_ years, you'd think my loss would get easier, but it doesn't. It only gets easier to pretend I'm okay.


	2. Chapter 1: That's a Long Story

Today marks the anniversary of Arthur's death. I reluctantly wake up and shower. For breakfast I just eat a piece of toast. I don't really have an appetite. I pack my bag of essentials – my book of magic, a backup potion, and an apple. I take my potion and as Amy walk to the Lake of Avalon.

I walk down the beach in gloom, remembering that sad day. I look out into the lake and shed a tear. I could still see the boat floating on the lake, Arthur's body burning in the proper burial he deserved. I am sulking, staring, silent tears falling down my face, while around me are the sounds of laughter and joy from the children playing on the beach. I blink and wipe away my tears, and I look out to see Gwen and Gwaine emerging from the water. I've been here many times before and I've never seen them so vividly. I blink a few times before I realize, they're real. Gwaine and Gwen actually just emerged from the Lake of Avalon! I rush up to greet them. They make eye contact with me and smile, rushing to me. I realize that I am Amy, so I look down to make sure the potion didn't wear off, and it didn't, I'm still Amy. After we embrace, I ask how they recognize me, and they say the lake let them see who I really am. We embrace again and I look up to see the rest of the knights of the round table emerging from the lake. All in their chainmail and red capes bearing the crest of Camelot. We all greet each other and embrace each other.

We're all so excited until someone asks, "Where's Arthur?" We all look around frantically. Elyan and Percival go for their swords before I assure them that nobody here means any harm. Gwen and Elyon go off to search the beach, Lancelot and Percival look in the trees behind the beach, and Gwaine and Leon search the water, and I take the private area where I last saw him. I quickly scanned the beach before checking the waters. I rush into the lake, calling out Arthur's name.

I am about to give up and search the trees when I hear a familiar voice behind me say, "What is it, Merlin?" I turn around and see Arthur grinning at me. I smile back and give him a hug.

"Come on, we need to get to the others," I say, pulling Arthur.

"Others?"

"Yeah, everyone is here!"

I pull Arthur out of the water, dragging him behind me. "Merlin," I hear him say accusingly, "why do you look like a girl?"

"That's a long story," I brush off his question.

"And you couldn't even be a pretty girl, you're chubby and pale."

"That," I responded, "is an even longer story."


	3. Chapter 2: Should We Slay the Cars?

"I FOUND HIM! I FOUND HIM!" I am yelling as we walked back towards everyone. I then realize that people are staring at the knights with fear in their eyes. Right. People don't realize magic exists anymore. "Let's go. People are starting to stare," I say, moving them along.

I lead them off the beach and onto the street, towards the house I've been staying in.

"Stay close to the side of the road," I warn.

"Why?" Gwaine asks.

"Because if you don't, you'll get hit by a car. Or a bus."

"Car? Bus? What do those mean?" Gwen asks sincerely. I ponder an answer when a car whizzes by. Everyone gasps in fear and flinches at the noise and speed of the car.

"That's a car."

"Is it sorcery?" Arthur asks cautiously.

"No, it's science," I answer. "We're in the future. Well, not really the future, because it is the present, but it's the future to what you're used to."

"Merlin, what _are_ you talking about?" Arthur asks.

"Well, it's the year 2016… it's been a couple _thousand_ years since you were alive," I explain carefully.

"So…, what's a bus?" Gwaine asks, probably trying to find something he can understand. Or just find something to talk about, it _is_ Gwaine after all.

"It's… it's like a really big car."

"What's their use? Besides hitting people who don't walk on the side of the road." Elyan wonders.

"There are people inside-"

"Did it eat them?" Percival interjects.

"Should we slay the cars?" Lancelot asks, drawing his sword.

"No, and definitely no, put your sword away," I respond. "The people go in willingly and they can get out again when they want. Cars and buses are a way of transportation. They are a fast way to get places, and they can go further than we can by foot or by horse. And don't slay them. If you scratch someone's car, you'll need to pay them a _lot_ of money. Money we don't have."

"But I am the King! I don't need to pay anyone anything," Arthur declares triumphantly.

"Arthur, you're not the king anymore. This isn't even Camelot anymore. It's been thousands of years since your reign over this land. Things changed. This is England. Things are very different now."

"England?" Arthur asks.

"I'm not going to give you a history lesson now. Besides, history has never been your strong suit anyway," I respond.

The rest of the walk home is filled with Gwaine's chatter.

"We're here," I said, announcing our arrival. In the comfort of my home, I allow the potion to wear off, going back to being myself again. However, now myself is old and everything aches.

"A cave. Now _this_ seems more like the Merlin I know," Arthur teases. "Let's go inside, shall we?"

"Um, it's actually really small in there. Maybe you'd better wait outside. I'll prepare something for everyone to eat, I bet you're all starving."

"Well, yeah. We haven't eaten for thousands of years," Gwaine jokes, laughing and nudging Percival. I smile, glad to have them back and head inside.

Before I go to the kitchen, I search my shelves for a potion. It's my favorite potion, and I keep at least one in every home. My de-aging potion. It took me years to figure this one out, as it isn't in any of Gaius's magic books. I drink it all in one gulp and feel myself transform into myself again. Well, my younger self, that is. The one everyone outside knows.

I head to the kitchen. I look around and realize I don't have enough food for all these people – I barely have enough food for just me. I head to the dining room and ponder what to do. I don't have enough room or food for all these people. Then it strikes me. Magic, of course. I use my magic to make my dining room bigger and the table long enough to fit everyone. Then I conjure up a feast everyone will enjoy. I call everyone inside to eat.

"Merlin, I thought you said the house was too small for all of us. Yet, the dining area is big enough for all of us and elbow room," Arthur points out.

"Well, it _wasn't_ big enough for everyone," I responded.


	4. Chapter 3: I Know Magic When I See It

I took the place I am used to, behind Arthur, ready to serve, holding the wine for those who want a refill.

"Merlin, come on, this is your house. Come, enjoy the feast with us," Lancelot says, the rest of the knights rejoicing in agreement.

"Yes. Come on, Merlin, sit down," Gwen agrees. Even Arthur nods towards the empty chair.

"If you insist," I say, taking my seat. Dinner consists of me explaining the twenty first century to everyone, and explaining how no, the light isn't sorcery, it's called electricity. It's science. People don't even know magic is real, they don't "believe" in it. As if electricity wasn't hard enough to explain, I'm pretty sure Leon isn't convinced that running water _isn't_ sorcery. Once I finish catching them up to the times as best as I could, the rest of the meal consists of jokes and me telling stories of life during my thousands of years.

After the meal, Elyan, Lancelot, and Arthur all excuse themselves for they need to relieve themselves. I'm not fond of the idea of my yard smelling like human waste.

"Wait," I say.

"Can't it wait just five minutes?" Elyan asks impatiently.

"No. I don't want you relieving yourselves in my yard. Follow me." I take everyone to the bathroom and show them how to use the toilet. An experience I never thought I'd have.

"When you're done you just push on this lever and it all goes down the hole."

"Where does it go?" Gwen innocently asks.

"That's complicated…" I respond, not really wanting to explain the sewer system to them.

Lancelot, being the brave soul that he is, is the first to try it out.

After a few seconds, we hear the noise of the toilet flushing, followed by Lancelot's excited exclamation, "It's incredible! Everything just disappears!"

"And you're _sure_ it's not magic?" Leon asks skeptically.

"I know magic when I see it, and that's _not_ magic." I respond, reluctantly. That's become my catchphrase over the last hour.


	5. Chapter 4: Fight Bullets with Swords

Two weeks have passed and I think I've gotten them as caught up with the times as I ever will. I mean, _I'm_ not even completely caught up with the times. I've gotten them all modern clothes so they can fit in better. I have two people staying in each of my houses. Arthur and Gwen are in one house, Lancelot and Percival in another, Elyan and Leon in the third, and Gwaine staying with me in the last house. However, that is mostly just so everyone has a place to sleep. Most of the time everyone is at the house I brought them to the first day – the house Gwaine and I are at – joking around, eating a lot of food, and making a lot of messes. I spend most of my time finding space in my small houses for all the stuff they somehow keep accumulating.

I'm putting away Arthur's sword after he challenged Leon to a sword fight, and I'm reminiscing about old times. I remember Kilgharrah forging the sword with his breath, and all the other times I've sought his advice and he's helped me save Arthur's life and Camelot.

"Merlin. There is nothing you can do."

"I have failed?"

"No, young warlock, for all you have dreamt of building has come to pass."

 _*Grunts*_ "I can't lose him! He's my friend!"

"Thou no man, no matter how great, can know his destiny, some lives have been foretold, Merlin. Arthur is not just a king. He _is_ the Once and Future King. Take heart, for when Albion's need is greatest, Arthur will rise again. It has been a privilege to know you, young warlock. The story we have been a part of will live long in the minds of men."

The sound of the sword clanking to the ground pulls me from my daze.

"Arthur! ARTHUR!" I yell, running, trying to find the Once and Future King, forgetting the sword.

"Merlin, what do you want now?"

"It's just- I just remembered something."

"Well, go ahead, spit it out."

"Something the great dragon Kilgharrah said to me. When you died, the last time I ever saw him."

"Stop being suck an idiot and say it already!"

"He said that when Albion needs you the most, you would rise again. You were also called the Once and Future King. I think that future is now."

"Merlin! I've been here two weeks already! Why didn't you _say_ anything earlier! Albion is in need, probably in great danger, and you let us horse around for two whole weeks!"

"Arthur, I may not look it now, but I am old. _Thousands_ of years old. My memory isn't that good, especially of things that happened over five thousand years ago."

"Okay, fine. We'll leave at first light tomorrow. Pack up the horses- er, cars. Or, pack a bus, because it's bigger than a car and we can all fit it one."

"People don't _own_ buses. And I don't have a car. We'll walk. The question is, how will we get to Albion, it's not a place people go."

"We take a boat, dollop-head."

"Don't call me dollop-head. That's my word."

"Then don't be such a dollop-head, dollop-head."

I squint my eyes at Arthur before countering, "there aren't stray boats like there were when you were alive."

"Then we'll figure it out when we get there. In the meantime, polish our armor, Merlin. And sharpen our swords. We'll need them to protect Albion."

The real problem isn't the boat; I can find a boat. The _real_ problem is that the knights only know how to fight with swords. Swords aren't the weapon of choice now – guns are. Not even Arthur can fight bullets with swords.


	6. Chapter 5: Plans

Arthur gathers everyone in the yard and tells them the plans for tomorrow. I am in the house preparing bags of food and medical supplies, polishing armor, and sharpening swords. Although that's not where my head is at. I am reading through my old magic books trying to find something I've seen before. A way to connect to dead souls in the dream land. I find it in an old book I salvaged from Camelot's library. A book I've never really found useful until now, but didn't have the heart to get rid of it. And now I'm glad I didn't.

The knights are sleeping in the yard so the sun will wake them in the morning. Gwen and I are sleeping inside. Lying in bed, I place the hex bag under my pillow and read the spell off the page of the book. It takes a few tries, but when I get it right I fall asleep almost instantly.


	7. Chapter 6: You Truly are a Great Warlock

I look around me and I see movement. There is something in the air, but I can't see it if I try to look directly at it. It's probably souls of people who never found rest. The spell book warned me about these, said that if I don't find the soul I want quickly, they'll try to latch on to me. So I continue as quickly as I can.

"O drakon, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anakes! Erheo!"

"Merlin," I hear Kilgharrah's voice. I look around, but I can't see him anywhere.

"Show yourself to me, Kilgharrah!"

"Ah, great warlock," the dragon says as he appears behind me. When he appears the lost souls wither away with shrieks. The atmosphere is still warped around me, as if pulling at me, but I ignore the sensation to explore and the urge to look away from the dragon. "I thought I saw the last of you when The Once and Future King died at The Lake of Avalon. And I felt assured I was right when I myself died as well. But, alas, you truly are a great warlock and we meet again."

"Arthur has come back. You said to me that when he returns it will be when Albion needs him. What happened to Albion? And how will Arthur protect it now when he only knows the ways of the past?"

"Albion is a place of balance. When Albion is in need, it will call out to the best defender. Albion chose Arthur because he is a worthy opponent to Albion's threat. The knights of Camelot are not the only souls who have come back from the dead. An old enemy of Arthur's has risen again and taken Albion for themselves. They are not knowledgeable in the ways of the present, just as Arthur isn't. As long as Arthur wields the sword forged from my breath he will have a weapon that will serve him well."

"Who is it? Who took over Albion?"

"Someone whom Albion thought necessary to bring back Camelot's best knights to defeat."

"Morgana?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. We must part now, great warlock. If you stay any longer, you will not awaken. And wake quickly before any lost soul attaches to your life force."

As soon as Kilgharrah is out of view, I say the spell to awaken myself from my sleep. I awake with a start and abruptly sit up. My head reels for a second from a dizzy spell. When my vision clears, Gwen is standing above me, looking worried, a wet cloth in her hand.

"What's wrong? Is everyone okay? Are you okay? Who's hurt that you have a wet cloth?"

"It was you, Merlin. You were mumbling in your sleep and no matter what I did I couldn't wake you. Your head was warm and I thought you might be suffering from a fever."

"I'm fine."

"Were you suffering from a nightmare?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, the way you were acting in your sleep. And I heard you say Morgana's name."

"Oh. No, I wasn't having a nightmare. I was having a conversation." I pull the hex bag from under my pillow, "It's okay now. It's over."

"Okay. You should get back to sleep."

"We should both sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Gwen nods and goes back to her room.

I am restless the rest of the night, unable to sleep, thinking about who could possibly be harming Albion.


	8. Chapter 7: Magical Waste Portal

I get out of bed an hour before dawn to make breakfast and double check everyone's bags are properly packed. In the kitchen I stumble upon Arthur leaning against the counter, eating an apple.

"You're up early," Arthur remarks as I grab the bowl of apples to bring to the table.

"So are you," I reply.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Me neither."

"Now I know that's not true, because when I came inside to use the magical waste portal, you were sound asleep, even muttering to yourself."

"Yeah, well that didn't last very long. And I couldn't go back to sleep," I say, making my way around Arthur to grab the plates in the cabinet behind him. "Will you please move out of the way?"

"No." I roll my eyes and shove him out of the way. "Hey!"

"Well, then, you should've moved when I asked." I open the cabinet and grab the stack of plates, placing them on the counter and stacking food on top of them to carry to the next room. "Come on, everyone will be waking up soon." Arthur follows me to the dining room where we see Gwen leaning in the doorway.

"Good morning," Gwen greets us, sleepily.

"Good morning, Guinevere," Arthur replies, smiling and walking towards her.

I scoot around them and go outside to check on the others. The sun is barely peeking over the horizon, the trees concealing the small amount of light. Percival is sitting up, playing with a stick in the ground. He sees me and walks over.

"Merlin," Percival says.

"There's food inside. The others will be awake soon, it's almost dawn." Percival nods at me and heads inside. I hear the voices of the three people inside greet each other, but their words are muffled by the walls between us.

I stretch, aching bones reminding me to make a new batch of my potion. I head inside and collect the ingredients, glad I restocked them the other day. As I am working on my potion, dawn comes and everyone makes their way to the dining room to eat. I bring my supplies to the kitchen to put in the fridge, as the potion needs to cool for an hour to work. I grab the rest of the apples and bring them to the dining room on my way out.

Gwaine grins at me with a mouthful of food as he grabs an apple. "Not looking so fresh today, Merlin?"

"I just bought these apples yesterday."

"I wasn't talking about the apples, Merlin. I was talking about _you_."

"Oh," I'm suddenly self-conscience about my age. "I'm used to it by now. Besides, I'm working on a new batch of potion. Should last me a week or two…"

"Merlin!" Arthur called out. "Come, sit, before the food runs out. We need you fed before we go out."

"You've never cared _before_ if I ate or not!"

"You weren't an old man before. Now quit complaining and eat up."

"Mnyeh," I make a face at Arthur as I take my seat.

I grab an apple and a piece of toast, slowly chewing the juicy bites of apple as I spread jam on my toast. When I finish eating, I go back to the kitchen to check on my potion. I pull it out of the fridge and swirl it around. The grey mixture turns purple, indicating the potion is done. I pour the mixture into several vials, and carefully put them in my bag, taking one and morphing back into myself. I walk into the dining room, using my magic to clean up the mess the knights left behind.

I walk outside to find the knights sorting their bags and getting ready for the journey.

"Merlin," Gwen calls me over to where she and Arthur are standing. "Can you please tell Arthur that I am going to Albion?"

"No, Merlin," Arthur argues. "Explain to Gwen that it's too dangerous for her to come with us."

"Arthur, I'm going," Gwen counters.

"I don't want you to get hurt," Arthur responds.

"Guys," I interrupt. "Albion brought you back from the dead for a reason. _All_ of you. I don't think Albion brought Gwen back just to sit at home and worry about you. She's coming with."

"Fine," Arthur says stubbornly, while Gwen grins triumphantly.

Everyone has their armor on, and I use my magic to disguise us. We walk to the beach and I conjure us a boat to bring us across the Lake of Avalon. The boat ride seems longer than I remember, Albion seeming farther than it was. I know this is untrue, but it still feels … different in some way. I shake the thought, blaming it on the millennia since I've traveled to Albion, the time messing with my memory.


	9. Chapter 8: The Evil Possessing Albion

As soon as I step foot on Albion, I can tell something is wrong. It's too dark, and the balance the land had before is off. I can feel something stirring in my soul. Something dark and horrible, and it makes me feel sick.

Arthur pulls me aside, "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"You look funny. Well, funnier than normal, that is."

I give Arthur a sour look, "Something is wrong with Albion. There is something here, and it is evil. I can feel it in the air."

"I'll tell the others to be careful, Merlin can feel evil in the air," Arthur mocks.

"I'm serious, Arthur."

"Okay, okay, I believe you. What should we do first?"

"I don't know, Arthur. You're the one with training in this stuff."

"Okay. Just wondering if there was anything else you were feeling."

"Shut up, cabbage-head!"

Arthur slaps my arm before facing everyone. "Alright, first thing we're going to do is make camp. We should find someplace on the outskirts of Albion to call base and camp near there. Once we set up camp, we can go in the walls of Albion and search for – what exactly are we looking for, Merlin?"

"I don't know…"

"Search for the evil possessing Albion."

The knights mumble in agreement, and we search for a place to call base. After about three hours, we make a circle around the island. After careful thought, Arthur decides that the best spot is in some trees right where we started. It has trees to hide us, water nearby for plenty of food, and it's near the entrance to Albion. We set up camp in the trees, concealing ourselves from anyone who might be on the island with us. We spend the rest of the day finding food sources and firewood. We find many berry bushes – but only a few that aren't poisonous, and plenty of firewood. We go to sleep early that night so we can get an early start tomorrow.

I can't sleep, the stirring in my stomach getting worse and worse. I get up multiple times thinking I'm going to be sick. But each time, nothing happens. The fifth time I get up thinking I'm sick, I turn around to go back to camp and Gwen is standing in front of me, making me jump.

"Gwen! You gave me a fright!"

"I'm sorry, Merlin. I just wanted to see if you're okay. You kept getting up and running away from camp. Are you sick?"

"There is evil here and I can feel it stirring. It makes me feel sick, but I haven't gotten sick. At least, not yet. It keeps getting stronger, and I keep feeling sicker. I'm afraid that I might actually become sick, and I'm surprised I haven't already…"

"Oh, Merlin…" Gwen says, empathy dripping from her voice.

"Come on, let's go back to base and go to sleep."

I lead her to base, but I head back to my tree, bile threatening to come up from my stomach.

"Merlin? What are you doing over here?" I hear Leon's voice.

I blink, the sun harsh on my sleepy eyes. "I… I don't remember falling asleep…"

"Merlin, are you okay? You haven't been yourself since we set foot on Albion. For one, you keep making faces like you smell something horrible. Another, you act like your dizzy. And lastly, you've been clutching your stomach and moaning. Are you alright? Are you sick?"

"I… I'm fine," I say, swallowing bile from the back of my throat. Leon doesn't seem to buy it, but helps me up anyway.

Back at base, everything is a bustle, everyone packing up for the journey ahead. I sit down on the ground and try to eat breakfast. I can only get two spoonfuls of oatmeal and one bite of apple down. Gwaine gleefully finishes my breakfast.

"MERLIN!"

"Huh?" I jerk up, spinning my head to find the source of the voice, dizzying myself.

"C'mon, we're going. Unless you want to waste the day just sitting there all day," Arthur responds.

"Oh, no. I'm coming." I heave myself off the ground and stagger over to where everyone is standing.

"Uh, Merlin, maybe you _should_ stay behind today," Elyon suggests.

"No, no. I- I'm okay. I'll be okay."

"If you say so. I'm not going to fight with you. But you really don't look well," Elyon says with concern.

I stood up straight and walked confidently to the entranceway. At the doorway, the nights unsheathed their swords and Gwen her dagger. Merlin looked on with surprise, and Gwen just gave him a stern look, making him shut up before he even said anything.

I peeked my head through the doorway and looked around. Seeing the coast clear, I motioned for everyone to follow me as I walked into Albion. Inside the walls, a strong wave of nausea hit me and I collapsed.


	10. Chapter 9: A Faint Laugh in the Wind

"Merlin!" Arthur called out and rushed over to me. "What happened? Are you okay?"

I felt too sick to speak. I just pointed in the direction we needed to go. I don't know how I knew where to go, but I did.

"What's over there, Merlin? I don't see anything?" Gwen responded, worriedly.

"That way," was all I could choke out. I took a potion and Percival carried me on his back. Percival and I led the way, me tapping one of his shoulders to let him know when to change directions.

Eventually we come to a stop in a small room made of stone, pieces of collapsed building surrounding it. The room has a low ceiling and a small, simple, wooden bench. I didn't know which way to go. I felt like we were there. Right on top of where we should be…

Or maybe it felt more like we were _under_ whatever is pulling me towards it. I point upwards, letting Percival know what I think. He lays me on the bench and circles around the room. He then goes outside the room and circles around it there, too. He stops, looking up. Hands on his hips, he calls Arthur over while still looking up. I can't hear what they are saying, but I see Percival point up and the rest of their conversation happens with both of their heads tilted skywards.

Arthur comes back into the room, grabs his bag, and leaves again. As curious as I am to see what he and Percival are up to, another wave of nausea hits me and I need to close my eyes. I hear sounds of chatter, but I can't make out what anyone is saying. Not that I'm trying to listen.

Next thing I know, I'm being jostled. I open my eyes to find myself on Percival's back again.

"What…?" was all I could muster.

"We found a way up," Percival answered, walking toward where he was standing with Arthur earlier. I look up to see a window with a rope hanging down from it. Percival grabs the rope, tests it a few times, then tells me to hang on tight. He then starts to SCALE THE WALL! I am freaking out, nauseous, and scared for my life. What if his grip slips? What if he loses his footing? What if the rope can't hold our weight? What if – I peel open my eyes that I hadn't realized I shut to see we were at the top, Percival already climbing in the window.

Before I can take in my surroundings, I roll off Percival and get sick on the floor. The two spoons of oatmeal and the bite of apple come up. A lot of stomach acid does, too. As I am wheezing and stand up, I notice the potion must also be in my mess on the floor, because I'm old again. However, when I'm done I feel much better, any hint of nausea gone. Well, besides the vomit on the floor.

Everyone else quickly follows Percival, each asking if I'm okay when they crawl through the window.

"Yeah. I'm fine now that _that's_ done."

I finally get a view of the room. It is much larger than the room underneath this one. The roof is a huge Roman dome, a hole in the middle of the circle to keep the roof stable. The light coming in from the dome did not seem natural somehow. It seemed different than the light coming in from the window. Floating in the light was a young girl, maybe in her 20s. She has long, black hair cascading down her back. She's on the taller side. Her pale skin almost seems to be glowing in the light. She's wearing loose jeans, a shirt with a pattern that I don't recognize, and a forest green zip up hoodie, unzipped. I get closer, and notice her eyes are closed. Her face is lightly dusted with freckles. She just looks so _innocent_. But this is definitely the beacon of evil that's been making me sick, and pulling me towards it. I feel power emanating from her. I reach out to touch her, but I can't get my hand in the light. I hear what sounds like a faint whisper and the girl's eyes snap open. They are a fierce green and they look right at me, piercing me with their intensity, yet seemingly unfocused.

"Merlin," she speaks, her voice honeyed and sultry. "I've been waiting for you. I've got a new toy. Do you want to play?"

I think I hear a faint laugh in the wind as the girl drops to the floor. The light becomes natural, matching the light from the window. The girl is unconscious and I instruct the nights to carefully take her down. Unable to climb down in my old age, I take another potion, sad that the last one didn't last as long as it should, then climb down with my youth agility.

We lay her on the bench in the room below and wait. Not too much later, she regains consciousness.

"Wha—? Where am I? Who are you?" she asks frantically, her voice different than it was before. It's lighter, and much less sultry.

"My name is Merlin. We're on Albion," I gently respond, wondering why she doesn't remember greeting me and waiting for me.

"Albion?"

"Yeah, that's the island we're on. Off the beach, the one with all the abandoned, decaying buildings."

"Oh! Yeah…" she trails off, playing with the zipper of her sweatshirt. "Wait… did you say your name is Merlin?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Why does that sound familiar? And in an unsettling way…"

"I don't know. We've only just met."

"I don't know, either," she shrugs it off. "Um, I'm Jade."

I tell Jade everyone's names and Gwen reassures her that everything will be okay.

"So, Jade, what brings you here?" I ask back at base. Arthur didn't want to bring a stranger to camp, but Gwen insisted.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"

"It's usually the craziest stories which end up being true," I say with a smile, hopefully seeming comforting.

"I… I was told to come here. By the woman in my dreams. She's a goddess and she told me that if I came here and helped her I could get magic… I know it sounds stupid, I thought I was going crazy. But I've had theories and I've done tests and research. While magic and goddesses don't make sense scientifically, everything she has told me, everything she has predicted has come true. So I decided, what the hell? Why not try this out? Worst come to worst, I'd just find out I'm crazy and get a therapist. But if magic and this goddess do turn out to be real, they can be helpful in scientific advances. I could use magic to find a cure for cancer!"

"Does this goddess have a name? What does she look like?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know what she looks like, she was only ever a voice in my dreams. But she has given me a name. Her name is Otrena. I imagine her as a wisp of wind." Jade says in awe.

I rake my brain, but the name didn't mean anything to me. Jade's innocence may get her in trouble if Otrena is up to no good.

Arthur pulls me aside, "I don't trust her. She seems to… willing to accept dreams from an alleged goddess as truth."

"I trust Jade. She seems like she took some convincing and it took her a long time to accept Otrena as truth. But, I don't trust Otrena. I mean, a goddess? What if it's just a sorceress trying to get something from her? Otrena has potential to do anything, and be anything. We don't know anything about her…"

"I think we need to be cautious around Jade."

"Yeah, okay." I walk over to where Jade is sitting at the fire pit. "Hey," I say as I sit down next to her. I notice Jade is silently crying, slow tears flowing from her eyes. She wipes them from her cheek with her sleeve.

"Hey," she responds, her voice low and quiet, as she sniffs her nose.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, um… I— I just don't know what's going on anymore… I've never talked about Otrena out loud. Now that I have, I realize how insane it is. I'm starting to question if I really am crazy. I mean, magic? How did I get so far off the rails that I believe in magic?" Jade's head is in her hands, her fingers raking through her hair.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. Jade, look at me. It's okay… Here, watch this," I take Jade's hand and wait for her to make eye contact.

"What am I watching?"

"Look at the wood…" I say. And when she does I use my magic to start a fire. Her jaw drops and she stares at me with wide eyes.

"What—? How—? Did you—?"

"Yes," I say reassuringly, taking her hands in mine. "Yes."

My stomach decides to ruin the moment by making the loudest grumble. It makes Jade laugh, at least she's smiling. Her smile reminds me of Freya's, gentle and sweet.

"I think it's time to make dinner," I say, realizing now that I don't feel sick anymore. I grab some cans of soup, rice, and corn from our bags and start cooking them on the fire.

When dinner is ready, we realize we don't have an extra plate or bowl for Jade, so I let her use mine and I eat out of the pot. I sit next to Jade and we tell each other stories and keep each other laughing. We continue like this way past sunset, unaware of how late it is until we start getting tired.

"I think it's time to go to sleep," I tell Jade, yawning.

"Oh, um… Yeah… Time to sleep," Jade is unenthusiastic and seems distraught.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's – it's nothing," Jade shrugs.

"It's not nothing. I can tell. Please tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can try and fix it? Please, I want to help."

Jade looks up at me through her lashes and stubbornly state, "Okay, fine. I've been having bad dreams lately and it's making it hard to sleep."

"What about your dreams where you talk to a goddess?"

"Those don't happen all the time… I only hear her once every few nights. But, the nightmares started only a week before I heard from Otrena the first time. Sometimes I think they're linked. Like, sometimes I think 'Maybe she's not real. Maybe it's just my subconscious trying to give me something to deal with these nightmares.' But mostly I think how Otrena might be sending me these dreams. As a warning, or a cry for help. What if she's getting tortured? And- and- and I'm her last hope to help her?"

It's silent for a minute as I soak in what Jade just told me. What if Otrena is real and really is in trouble?

"So…? Can you do anything?"

"I don't know… I don't have any information about Otre- OH! You mean to help you sleep. Yeah. Sorry, I got lost in thought. Yeah, yes, I can help you."

I help Jade find a comfortable spot and find her a blanket. Luckily, we do have an extra blanket. She gets settled and I cast a spell to relax her mind and let her sleep. The spell takes a lot from me, more than it should, like her mind is fighting the spell. But that doesn't make any sense. I think I'm just more worn out that I realized – today took a lot out of me.

I lay down, unaware of how tired I am from the long day and hard night until I fall asleep almost instantly.


	11. Ch10: She Thinks the Island is Beautiful

Chapter 10: She thinks the Island is Beautiful. I Think it's Depressing

I wake up and am startled for a second by the blanket next to me. The grogginess of sleep fades away and I remember. Jade. JADE? Where did she go? I jerk myself upright and frantically look around for her. What if Arthur was right? What if Jade is dangerous? What if-

My thoughts get cut off as I hear rustling in a nearby bush and Jade emerges.

"Jade!"

"Merlin!" Jade mocks my enthusiasm.

"I was worried when I woke up and didn't see you."

"Aww, does Merlin have a crush?" Arthur interrupts.

"No…"

"He totally does," Jade laughs, joining Arthur's antics.

"No. I was just worried because you were missing and—" Jade and Arthur mock me with batting eyelids and puckered lips.

"I was worried that you might do something…"

"Like what? Pee in the bushes?"

"I don't know… I guess I'm just a little on edge…"

"Or you were worried about your crush," Arthur teases, walking away.

"Stop it, Arthur." I yell, throwing a blanket at him. Jade giggles at my failed attempt, as the blanket didn't go far. "Shut up…" I grumble, picking up the blankets.

I go to the fire and make oatmeal for breakfast. I come to my senses and use my magic to conjure myself a bowl and spoon. During breakfast Arthur continues to childishly tease me about Jade, Gwen tries to get him to stop to no avail.

During the day we walk around the rubble of crumbling buildings, not having any direction of where to go like we did yesterday. Jade is adventurous and will climb chunks of broken buildings laying on the ground. She will use them as vantage points so she can get a better view. She thinks the island is beautiful. I think it's depressing. But she wasn't around to see it when it was at its full potential of beauty. I look sadly on as Jade cheerfully wanders about.

"'Cmon, Merlin. Come up with me!" Jade takes my hand and drags me up a piece of rubble. She looks around ecstatically and I realize it _is_ somewhat beautiful. The rubble laying around surrounded by the water is peaceful and beautiful in a solemn way. It brings a grin to my lips and Jade nudges me with her shoulder.

"My goal today was to get you to smile. You were in such a funk. What's wrong?"

"It's this island. Where you see beauty and excitement to explore in the demolished buildings, I see sadness and lost eras."

"I don't see the eras as _lost_ , I see them as being remembered through places like these. And we can explore their ideas and ways of life."

I smile, remembering that the people I would look at this island and miss are all here, with me. "I like that. It's… a nice way to think about it."

Jade freezes suddenly. Her eyes glaze over and her body stiffens. She then lets out a long, loud scream. I see movement below us, the knights are rushing over to see what happened. Jade continues to scream until she runs out of breath.

"Merlin," Jade's sultry voice is back, "are you enjoying your time with my gem? I'm going to have to take her away soon. She's mine." Jade laughs, but it's not her usual light, bubbly laugh.

A moment later Jade gasps, yanking a ring off her finger I hadn't noticed before. "That's never happened before! Otrena has never visited me while I was awake!"

"That was Otrena?"

"Yeah… she, uh, she told me to be weary of you?" Jade said uncomfortably, her hands crawling into the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

"Wait, she was talking to you?"

"Yeah…?"

"She was talking to me, too… through you. After you screamed." Jade seemed shocked to hear that. "And that's not even the first time. Otrena talked to me through you when we found you yesterday."

"Really?" Jade is confused.

"Yeah… She, uh, she doesn't seem trustworthy. She called you her toy, and she said you are hers? She said she's going to take you away."

"Oh, yes! She told me. In two days, on the full moon, she told me a spell to chant so she can give me magic! And then she said I need to go with her so I can learn to master my magic," Jade is enthusiastic, but I'm still unsure.

"Jade… That- that's not how magic works. People either practice magic or they don't. Some people are born with it. But magic isn't given to someone with an enchantment."

"But Otrena is a goddess. Maybe it's different for Goddesses."

"Maybe. But I don't think Otrena is a goddess. I think Otrena is a sorceress and if those dreams are from her she's probably in danger and using you to get out. And there aren't sorcerers anymore-"

"You're a sorcerer," Jade points out.

"Yes, well, that's a long story… Anyway, her struggles may be beyond the grave. I think she might kill you to save herself…"

Jade's eyes go wide and she runs off, crying. I carefully pick my way down the rubble and find the knights and Gwen at the bottom.

"What happened up there? We couldn't find a way up that we could deem sturdy enough that wouldn't make the whole building fall," Percival explains.

"Otrena," is all I can muster before chasing after Jade. I find her sitting on the bench we brought her to yesterday. I see her crying and am filled with sadness and I regret voicing my thoughts to her.

I sit down next to Jade, "Jade?" I startle her. She must not have noticed me walk in, probably lost in thought. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. I should've kept my thoughts to myself. And I shouldn't have come to such a harsh conclusion. I could be wrong about everything."

"No. I was thinking and I think you might be on to something. She… she doesn't seem right. I always thought I didn't see her because her goddess form might be to holy for me to look at. But then how would she want me to go with her? If I can't look at her _in my dreams_ how would I be able to look at her in _real life_? But maybe I can't see her because she's dead and all she is now is a soul. Or I'd see a rotting body!"

"Oh, Jade. It's okay." I put my hand on her back, reassuringly, "Besides, she's a sorceress, she could come to you and look like she did when she was alive. I wonder why she didn't." Jade rests her head on my shoulder, her tears soaking my shirt.

"Hey, are you okay? What's going on?" Gwen asks, slowly walking toward us. Jade lifts her head to acknowledge Gwen. Gwen sits on the other side of Jade who lays her head on Gwen's lap. Gwen is playing with Jade's hair and a comfortable silence hangs in the air.

The next day I wake up to Jade nudging me.

"Merlin," she whispers urgently. "Merlin, wake up."

"What? What is it?" I ask groggily.

"I can't see anything."

"Maybe because it's two in the morning. It's too dark to see anything." I am starting to get annoyed at being woken up at such an ungodly hour for something so juvenile.

"Really? It's 2AM? But I thought I felt the sun on my face…" Jade is really starting to worry me.

"Here, come with me. I'll take you to the river so you can look at the moon." I take Jade's hand and lead the way.

"Why did we stop?"

"Because we're at the river…" I'm worried. The moon is almost full, it's bright enough to see now. At camp the dense trees keep the light away, but now she should be able to see.

"Merlin, I still can't see anything!" Jade grasps my hand, squeezing it in fear. "I'm blind Merlin! Please help me! Is there anything you can do? Please?" The last word was barely audible, a whisper after her frantic burst of disbelief.

"It'll be okay, Jade. It'll be okay." I sit next to her and hug her into my chest, letting her cry into my shoulder. We stay like this until Jade calm down.

Jade pulls away and uses her hands to find my face. She tilts her head towards mine as if she is trying to make eye contact. "Can you use magic or something to fix it?" she shakily asks.

"I know a herbal remedy we can try in the morning. But something is blocking my magic from healing you." On that note, I lead Jade back to camp and we go back to sleep.


	12. Chapter 11: It Was Just a Bird

I wake up to just a blanket again. This time I don't freak out like I did yesterday. But then a few minutes go by and Jade is still missing. She is blind and missing. What if she's lost? Or hurt? Or worse, Otrena took her! The full moon _is_ tomorrow…

I stumble over to the fire pit, trying to run but continuously tripping over everyone's blankets strewn about.

"Merlin, what is _wrong_ with you?" Arthur asks.

"Jade is missing."

"This again… Did you check the bushes?"

"Shut up Arthur. This is serious. She went blind last night. She could be anywhere!"

"She went blind? How?" Percival asks worriedly.

"I don't know… But right now that doesn't matter. We need to find her and make sure she's safe!"

Arthur starts splitting the nights into groups of two and giving them places to search. I try to stay and listed to Arthur's plan, but I just can't. I need to find Jade. I also need to pee, but that can wait. Jade is more important. I down a potion and run off. I hear Arthur calling after me, but ignore him, my mind set on finding Jade.

Inside the walls, I find a toppled over building and climb it remembering what Jade was doing yesterday, I use it as a vantage point to scan the island. I see movements in the forest – the nights. I climb down, ready to head towards the building we found Jade in. That being the tallest building, it is a great spot to perch on the roof and look out to see if I can spot Jade.

"Merlin, wait up!" I spin around to see Arthur jogging up to me. I continue to go forward, but at a slower speed so Arthur can catch up. "What's your plan?" Arthur asks.

"To find Jade."

"Yes, but what's your strategy?"

"I don't really have one. My next plan of action is to climb that building," I point to the building, "and see if I can see anything helpful from there. I was just going to go with whatever came my way after that. What's your plan?"

"I sent the nights in pairs searching the forest. Gwen is at camp in case Jade goes back. And I am here to sear—" Arthur stops suddenly, drawing his sword.

"What—"

"Shhhh!" Arthur tilts his head, listening. He tiptoes around a nearby building, sword at the ready. He comes back around, sword sheathed again. "It was just a bird. Let's continue."

Arthur and I make our way to the tower. It seems farther than I remembered. Probably because I'm in a rush this time. When we finally get there, our rope is still hanging out the window. I quickly test the rope, and deciding it's still sturdy, I climb.

At the window I am greeted with an ear piercing screech. I slowly peek into the window and see Jade sitting on the floor.

"Jade!" I yell in joy as I scramble into the room. Jade looks at me with fierce, angry eyes. "Otrena…"

"Merlin. So glad you could make it. I'm just prepping my friend Jade here for tomorrow. All the doubt you put in her head about me is gone now. She trusts me again. I will win, Merlin. You can't defeat me. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, Jade collapses, Otrena gone.

Jade's eyes flutter open. "Merlin?"

"Yes! Wait, you can see me?"

"Yeah. Otrena is the one who took away my vision. It was for a trust game, like a trust walk. She then led me here! Otrena isn't bad, Merlin. She just wants to help me."

"What about your dreams?"

"I don't think they're from Otrena."

Deciding to brush off the subject, I help Jade up. We turn towards the window and, "Arthur? How long have you been there?" I ask, wondering why he didn't help me with Jade.

"I started climbing when I heard you yell out Jade's name. I got up here and Jade was waking." Arthur responded.

"Why didn't you help?"

"You seemed to be doing fine without me," Arthur replied. "So, are we good? Can we go back to base and call off the knights?"

"Yeah," I reply and Arthur makes his way out the window again. Jade squeezes my hand and descends after Arthur. I go down last, using my magic to quickly make my pile of puke from two days ago disappear first. I can't believe we all forgot about that. I guess we were preoccupied with Jade.

Back at camp, the rest of the day went by as the last. The knights reminiscing about life and death, Arthur and Gwen happily cuddling next to the fire, and Jade and I laughing over crazy stories of our hectic lives.

Jade told me this one story about how she was eating lunch with her friends when one of them told a joke. She then laughed and hit her wrist on the table on its way up to cover her mouth. She couldn't remember the word for wrist at the time for some reason, and called it a hand ankle.

I told Jade about how when I first met Arthur I saw him being a jerk and I decided I didn't like him. I then told her about how I challenged him to a duel and how we were sworn enemies for a while. This made Jade laugh so hard she snorted.

"You and Arthur? Enemies? I can't believe it!"

"It's true."

"And _you_ challenged _him_ to a duel! You!"

"Yeah, not my wisest decision…"

Before we go to sleep, Jade asks me if I can take her to the river so she can see the moon. When we get to the river, she lays on her back and stares up at the stars.

"They're so beautiful…"

"Yeah," I lay down next to her. I look up at the stars, too. I don't look at the starts much, but every time I do they look different. More pollution in the air and more light on Earth really does obscure the view of the stars. But they're still so peaceful…

I sit up suddenly, a light on my face. I don't remember falling asleep.

"Good morning, Merlin." I open my eyes to realize I'm still at the river. And so is Jade. She's wringing her hair in the river.

"Morning?" I blink a few times, gathering my surroundings. I'm under a blanket, a second next to me.

"Yep! You fell asleep last night while stargazing. I got you your blanket, and I got mine too. I didn't want you sleeping away from the group alone."

"You could've woken me up."

"But you looked so peaceful when you were asleep." Jade smiles at me. She finishes wringing out her hair and walks over to me. "Come on," she gives me her hand and helps me up, "let's go back to camp."

Luckily everyone is still asleep when we get back, the sun not yet penetrating through the thick trees. If Arthur was awake, I would never hear the end of it. Knowing that everyone would be waking up soon, I start getting breakfast ready.

Jade is acting very strange today. She has the attention span of a child – anything and everything that moves or makes a noise grabs her attention, and usually she goes to see what it is. It's impossible to hold a conversation with her or anything. I am talking to Arthur, worried about the full moon tonight, but glad it is near and this is almost over and Jade can return to her life. I am trying to keep Jade in my line of sight, but she keeps moving. I see her chasing a bird, and when I blink she's gone. I think nothing of it, she probably heard a leaf crunch and will be back soon.

After not seeing Jade for a while, I start to worry. I check the surrounding woods, and not seeing her anywhere I begin to panic. Jade needs to stop disappearing.

This time I go inside the walls myself. No need to get everyone stressing when Jade probably just followed a bird into the city. I can't find her anywhere. 'Well, the last two times I found her she was in the tower… It's worth a shot…' I think, and head over to the tower.

No surprise, she's in the room we found her in last time. What is surprising is that it looks like it did the first time. Unnatural light coming in from the top of the dome. Jade steps into the light before I can stop her. I rush over but ram into the light like it's a wall. Jade stands with her arms open and a green smoke fills the light. When the smoke dissipates, Jade is smiling evilly at me. But it isn't Jade. It's Otrena.

"Merlin, what is it with you? How come you are always here when I come to visit?" Ja—no, Otrena asks.

"Because I am looking out for Jade."

"Ah, yes. Did you enjoy her? I think she's quite lovely. But I'm here now. I don't like sharing. She's mine now." Otrena grins. She turns her head up and whistles. A big, white creature flies over the dome then lands, fitting itself through the hole. I then realize it's a dragon. A big, white, misshapen dragon. Aithusa.

"Morgana," I say accusingly, eyes narrowing. She laughs.

"Of course!" Morgana flicks her wrist and the light goes back to normal. She pets Aithusa's back and he slowly makes his way towards me, threateningly.

"Aithusa," his ears perk up at his name, but he continues toward me. "Nun de ge deis s'eikein kai emois epe'essin hepesthai." I calmly say, holding painful eye contact with Morgana as the dragon is forced to obey me. Morgana's eyes widen in fear as her dragon stops. She screams commands at it and even tries a few animal controlling spells, all to no avail. Aithusa stands behind me, protectively. I can tell, he knows I'm a Dragonlord. I lightly tap his front legs to let him know I mean no harm. He bows his head in trust.

"I hope you have a backup plan, because your dragon can't hurt me."

Morgana shakes off her shock and laughs, "Of course I have a backup plan. You didn't think I had _everything_ riding on my dragon, did you?" She grins slyly, warping Jade's face in ways that looks unnatural.


	13. Chapter 12: We Can't Strike the Enemy

Morgana's been blasting me with magic for almost an hour now. I've been sending signals out of the dome and the knights are still missing. Apparently Morgana's "plan" is to hit me with as many spells that could kill me until one works. I hope the knights get here before one _does_ work. I already sent Aithusa away so he wouldn't accidentally get hit when she tries something like a lightning bolt. Nothing is working and I can tell Morgana is out of ideas when she shimmies down the rope then uses her magic to make it disappear so I can't get down. She then fills the room with water.

I let the room fill with water. I keep my head above the water and come out the hole at the top of the dome. I'm not sure what Morgana was thinking, maybe she doesn't realize I can swim. Or, at least, I can keep myself afloat. Swimming, I can't do much more than a doggy paddle. But that's enough to keep me alive. Standing on the roof, I see Morgana making way for our camp. I search for something I can do.

I use my magic to put a message in the smoke from our fire. I first make the smoke into the shape of a dragon, the same way I did when I told Arthur I have magic. Letting that go on long enough and hoping someone saw it and hoping Arthur recognizes it, I change the smoke to say "Otrena is Morgana" and pray that someone sees my message.

"O drakon, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anakes! Erheo!" Aithusa comes swooping in and I have him bring me to the camp. Morgana is already there, fighting the knights and Gwen, using spells as her weapon of choice. I mutter a spell and deflect her magic from the group. I watch as she struggles to understand why her magic isn't working before she sees me.

"Emyris," Morgana hisses. Gwaine draws his sword.

"NO!" I yell out, unwilling to let Jade get hurt. But it's too late. Gwaine nicks her shoulder and Jade starts bleeding.

Arthur looks at me, "Merlin, are you saying we can't strike the enemy?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. As long as it's Jade who's getting hurt… I can't let her get hurt…" Arthur looks at me questioningly. "We just need to find a more creative way to defeat her."

"Like what?"

"I don't know…"

"Gee, Merlin, thanks for the input," Arthur retorts sarcastically.

"I'm _trying_." I reply. Morgana is here from the dead. And she is possessing Jade. Maybe she's like a ghost and we need to exorcize her? I voice my thoughts and Arthur cautiously agrees. Neither of us say what we're both thinking. That Arthur, the nights, and Gwen are all back from the dead, too. What if the exorcism affects them, too? But it's a sacrifice we must make to save the world from the chaos Morgana is capable of creating.

"I remember seeing an exorcism in one of my books. You keep her occupied and I'll get it." I leave towards the boat before Arthur can argue. I make the boat go as fast as I can and once on land I run home. This book is in the house closest to the grocery store. I run inside and remember it is on the third shelf, but I can't remember which book it is. I flip through five books before finding the one I'm looking for and bolt back to the boat.

At Albion I see the knights had to use their weapons to keep Morgana at bay. I feel a wave of despair as I look at Jade's battered body.

I open the book and read out, "Exorciamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incrusio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo, omnis legio diabolica, adjuarmus te … cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae perditionis venenum propinare … Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis … Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei; contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine … quem inferi tremunt … Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Eccelsiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos." I look up to see Jade frozen, shock in her eyes. "Jade?"

"Guess again. You didn't think you were getting rid of me _that_ easily, did you? All you did was immobilize me. And I can already feel movement in my toes." I look around and realize the exorcism had the same effect on the knights and Gwen. I use this to my advantage and put a spell on Jade to keep her immobile. When everyone else is moving again Morgana shrieks in despair.

"You can't keep me like this forever! This spell will wear off and when it does I will _destroy_ you! Then when the moon finishes its cycle in the sky tonight I will prevail!"

 _When the moon finishes its cycle in the sky_ … I know permanent spells take time to settle. But once they do, they do for good. So, we have until before dawn to save Jade. Save Jade before she is gone forever. Jade could – no. I can't think of that right now. I need to inform everyone about our short timeframe.

I unenthusiastically and worriedly tell everyone the news, distracted by thoughts of Jade. I only just met her, but she's already impacted my life so much. The thought of her being gone forever making my stomach churn.

"Huh?" I say, realizing someone is talking to me.

"Merlin, _how_ will we get Jade back? What kind of spell is Morgana using? How do we beat it?" I can't tell who is talking, it's taking so much concentration just to catch all the words without tears spilling out.

I take a second to quickly compose myself before answering, "Morgana is using a possession spell. A really strong, permanent spell. She's been dead for centuries, working up her plans and strength for this. We only have hours to tear them apart. Luckily we have the balance of the universe on our side. Morgana should be dead. Jade should be alive." I take a shaky breath. In, out. "But Morgana has time on her hand. But we have stronger magic. I've always been stronger than Morgana, and she's been weakened by death." _Hopefully._ "We just need to know what to fight back with. Physically hurting her will also hurt Jade. We need to scare her into hiding away so she doesn't bother us while I work on an expulsion spell."

The knights make a semicircle around Morgana, Gwen stands in front of Morgana, arms crossed and looking straight into her eyes. Gwen has a stern expression on her face and a menacing look in her eyes. Even with the threatening stances of the knights, Gwen's composure scares me the most. They stay there like that, a knight striking with the butt of their swords any part of Jade's body that Morgana might be moving. Gwen calmly and quietly saying threats and secrets about Morgana, saying awful things. Morgana's eyes are wide, and she looks away from Gwen to try and mask her fear. I don't really know what Gwen is doing to Morgana, but it's working. Morgana holds completely still, even though the spell I cast on her to stay still wore off.

The whole time I am sitting just out of view up in the branches of a nearby tree. I am working on the spell to expel Morgana. I need to work up my strength and get the pronunciation of the words right. Eventually I open my eyes, unaware of when I closed them, to see Morgana is gone and the knights calmly waiting. I must have been sitting here longer than I realized if they're already done and let Morgana go. I look up at the sky and see we're running out of time. The moon is already on its way towards the west horizon. I test the spell one more time. I know I have the words right and I feel the magic stirring, ready to be used.


	14. Chapter 13: Jade

I jump out of the tree and run to the tower. I hear the knights and Gwen not far behind me. Once at the tower I climb the rope heave myself into the room. I am getting blisters on my hands from climbing it so many times. I do a quick scope of the room; worried Morgana might be using it as her hideout. Satisfied that it is empty, I stand under the dome and start the spell. As I am reciting the words that will eject Morgana from Jade's body, the knights clamber through the window one by one, led by Gwen, and offensively stand in a circle around me. As the magic pulses out of me, I look up and reach my hands up towards the dome, up towards where Morgana came from before infiltrating Jade. I feel the powerful bursts and I need to concentrate really hard on pronouncing all the words right and concentrating all the power towards the top of the dome.

I scream the last words and am exhausted at the end. I feel myself lowering and look down. I hadn't realized, but I was floating when I cast the spell, just like Jade when I saw her the first time in this very spot. Jade. I need to find Jade. I need to make sure she's okay. I—We. _We_ need to find Jade. We—I look up and realize there gone. I'm alone again. A tear falls down my face.

"Merlin, are you coming or what?" Arthur says, popping his head in the window.

"What?"

" _You_ were the one mumbling about Jade while lying on the floor. Come on, we're searching for her right now." Jade.

"Yes, of course. Yes, I'm coming." I get up off the floor and climb out the window. I land on the ground with a thud, too anxious to find Jade to slowly make my way down the rest of the wall I jumped only halfway down. Bad idea. I feel my shins vibrating with pain. But I don't have time to worry about that now. I have to find Jade. I have to find Jade. I have to find Jade. I have—

I don't know when I started moving or how long I've been walking or where I went first. All I know is when I saw Jade lying in a heap tucked in a space under some rubble my vision tunneled. Jade. _Jade._ I ran toward her, as fast as I can. But it still wasn't fast enough. It felt like forever until I finally got to her. I fell to my knees and rolled her onto her back. Jade. Jade. Jade. Tears rolled down my face, Jade dead in my arms.

"No. No no no no no no no. Jade." I whisper into her hair.

"What?"

"Jade?"

"Uh, last I checked, yeah. That's my name."

"Oh, Jade! I thought you were dead! I thought she killed you! I thought—"

"Shhh, Merlin, it's okay. I'm okay. It's okay." I pull Jade to my body, hugging her, crying into her hair, relief pouring over me.

When we get back to base Gwen and I bandage Jade up as best we can. Jade keeps claiming she's fine and nothing hurts, but she winces when we clean her scrapes. The knights are gathering our belongings and packing up the camp.

We all walk back to the lake together. We're happy. We defeated Morgana once more, hopefully for good this time. Maybe now she can rest. At the lake, a hand comes up from the water. Freya's hand. I smile at the memory of her, but I squeeze Jade's hand, which is laced in mine. Freya makes a beckoning motion with her hand. I grow solemn. It's time.

Arthur, Gwen, Elyan, Leon, Gwaine, Percival, and Lancelot need to go. Everyone grows silent as they all come to the same conclusion. Tears fall from everyone's eyes, silently streaking down their cheeks. A single sob fallen from unknown lips echoes through the forest. I look at my friends and say a silent prayer that they all make it back to a better place or at least not a worse one. I can't peel my eyes from my friends, sad that they're being taken from me again. It makes me question why I've lived so long without meeting the same fate they have. Everyone takes turns hugging Jade and me.

Each whisper a sad goodbye in my ear, I respond, "I'll see you." When they pull away, each one has a sad smile on their face, a sad but happy feeling brought on by my words.

They all take each other's hands and walk into the lake together, disappearing to the depths of the lake and the depths of the afterlife. Jade tries to ask what happened, but stops herself when she sees my wet face.

"Come on, I'll take you home. You can take a shower and sleep. I'll take you home tomorrow."

"What if I don't want to go home. What if I want to stay with you?" Jade rests her head on my shoulder.

"Then things are going to get strange."

"A dead woman was inside me, there is an arm in the lake, and seven people just disappeared in a lake. I don't think it gets much weirder than that."

"Speaking of Morgana, how did she choose you?"

"She said it was my ring…" Jade said, playing with it on her finger.

"May I?" I ask. She nods and hands it to me. I look at the simple silver band and throw it into the lake. Freya catches it and takes it away, just as she did with Arthur's sword many years ago.

"What was that for?" Jade asks accusingly, lightly punching my arm.

"Don't want her coming back. If she anchored herself to the ring, best it stays at the bottom of the lake." Jade nods in understanding, followed by a yawn. "Let's go."


	15. Epilogue

Jade has been living with me for two years now. With this new light in my eyes, I no longer need to take potions. That day, when the enchanted water from the Lake of Avalon came in contact with my skin, it wore off the potion, but I didn't age. Jade is at med school, learning to become a doctor. She teaches me modern techniques, and I teach her healing spells and the different plants with healing propertied that modern medicine and technology tend to forget about.

We now only live in one of my three little houses in the mountain. And it has a real address now. I also have it stick out of the mountain a little, less hidden, more visible from outside. Jade tried to get us a house, but it was too expensive. And she couldn't find a place she liked as much as the one we already have.

"It's cute, and quaint," she'll say. "Besides, we designed it. It's unique. And it's got parts of us in it." She always kisses me after saying that. I always shy away, blushing at the compliment.

We're happy. Jade allows me to be happy instead of wallowing with hallow insides, missing my friends. While I still do miss my friends, I can smile again and I can enjoy life again.

I grow old with Jade. Eventually, we both die of old age. Jade has accomplished so much in the medical world. She found the cure for cancer, even without the use of magic. When I let out my last breath, I feel my soul drifting. I continue forward and I see my friends waiting for me, greeting me into the afterlife.


End file.
